Figure caption: The slider above shows satellite estimates of NO2 from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as an average of April 15 through May 31 over South America. The image on the left shows the mean of the 230-day period from 2015 through 2019, while the image on the right shows the mean of the 46-day period for 2020. The sliders below show the same information, but zoomed to show five major South American cities. The images are free and publicly-available and may be downloaded.

Buenos Aires slider

Lima slider

Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo slider

Santiago slider

The slider above shows satellite estimates of NO2 from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as an average of April 15 through May 31. The image on the left shows the mean of the 230-day period from 2015 through 2019, while the image on the right shows the mean of the 46-day period for 2020.

The slider above shows satellite estimates of NO2 from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as an average of April 15 through May 31. The image on the left shows the mean of the 230-day period from 2015 through 2019, while the image on the right shows the mean of the 46-day period for 2020.

The slider above shows satellite estimates of NO2 from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as an average of April 15 through May 31. The image on the left shows the mean of the 230-day period from 2015 through 2019, while the image on the right shows the mean of the 46-day period for 2020.

The slider above shows satellite estimates of NO2 from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as an average of April 15 through May 31. The image on the left shows the mean of the 230-day period from 2015 through 2019, while the image on the right shows the mean of the 46-day period for 2020.

India recently became the world’s largest emitter of sulfur dioxide (SO2). The highest SO2 levels are over eastern India and primarily associated with electricity generation. Other sources in India include the ceramicsindustry.

On March 19, California was one of the first states to set mandatory stay-at-home restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Arizona and Nevada followed suit around April 1.

On March 24, 2020, Prime Minister Modi ordered a nationwide stay-at-home order for India’s 1.3 billion citizens in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Over the past several weeks, the Southeast U.S. has seen significant reductions in air pollution over many of its major metropolitan areas, such as Atlanta and Charlotte. Similar reductions in air pollution have been observed in the Northeast U.S., Florida, and across the globe.